Books took me to places I could never go otherwise. They shared the confessions of people I'd never met and lives I'd never witnessed. The emotions I could never feel, and the events I hadn't experienced could all be found in those volumes. They were completely different by nature from TV shows or movies.
People shut their eyes to a distant tragedy saying there's nothing they could do, yet they didn't stand up for one happening nearby either because they're too terrified. Most people could feel but didn't act. They said they sympathized, but easily forgot.
The way I see it, that was not real.
I didn't want to live like that.
I do not know how this story will unfold. As I said, neither you nor I nor anyone can ever know whether a story is happy or tragic.
It may be impossible to categorize a story so neatly in the first place. Life takes on various flavors as it flows.
I've decided to confront it. Confront whatever life throws at me, as I always have. And however much I can feel, nothing more, nothing less.
I am an old woman, but I still love looking at my face.
I don't know if it's beautiful or ugly, but it is the only human face I ever see. I smile at it and receive a friendly smile back.